Toy machine for building dams and like purposes

ABSTRACT

A toy for building dams and like purposes is inexpensively provided which includes two spaced standards, a fixed carrier supporting line that extends between the tops of the standards, a bucket carrier operable along the carrier line, and means operable from a fixed remote control station for selectively driving the carrier back and forth along the carrier line or raising and lowering the bucket relative to the carrier while the carrier, itself, remains stationary. The raising and lowering mechanism desirably comprises a windlass which winds in and pays out a raising and lowering cable so long as the carrier remains idle. A carrier drive pulley, coaxial with the drum, may be clutched to the windlass drum for rotation in unison with the drum. When this is done the bucket is moved horizontally by and with the carrier.

United States Patent [191 Gagnon, Sr.

[ TOY MACHINE FOR BUILDING DAMS AND LIKE PURPOSES [76] Inventor: Harvey J. Gagnon, Sr., Star Route 2, Box 944, Trail, Oreg. 97541 221 Filed: Dec. 17, 1971 21 Appl.No.: 209,252

[52] US. Cl. 46/40 [51] Int. Cl A63]! 33/30 [58] Field of Search 46/39, 40; 37/117 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,745,276 1/1930. Sherwood 46/40 2,094,618 10/1937 Pridham..... 46/40 X Bonanno...

Street Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examinerv D. L. Weinhold Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Clarence M. Crews Feb. 26, 1974 I 57 ABSTRACT A toy for building dams and like purposes is inexpensively provided which includes two spaced standards, a fixed carrier supporting line that extends between the tops of the standards, a bucket carrier operable along the carrier line, and means operable from a fixed remote control station for selectively driving the carrier back and forth along the carrier line or-raising and lowering the bucket relative to the carrier while the carrier, itself, remains stationary. The raising and lowering mechanism desirably comprises a Windlass which winds in and pays out a raising and lowering cable so long as the carrier remains idle. A carrier drive pulley, coaxial with the drum, may be clutched to the Windlass drum for rotation in unison with the drum. When this is done the bucket is moved horizontally by and with the carrier.

8 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PAIENIEBFE-BZSIBH SHEET 2 OF 2 I/IA/VEZVTORI 1 HARVEY 1 GAG/VON 5R.

M5 ATTORNEY TOY MACHINE FOR BUILDING DAMS AND LIKE PURPOSES This invention relates to a remotely operated mechanical toy which realistically, but in a simplified form, simulates a real dam constructing machine.

In real life dam sites are frequently chosen at narrow gorges where the current is comparatively swift and the adjacent banks, desirably of solid rock, rise precipitately to a height substantially above the initial water level and desirably to or above the proposed new water level. In such a situation it is desirable to provide means for delivering dam constructing material, such as rock, gravel, grout, concrete and other materials, into desired locations without requiring workmen to incur the risks and the tedium which would be involved in having them personally convey or conduct these materials into such locations. It is accordingly common practice to erect. opposed, fixed supports at opposite sides of the stream for supporting opposite ends of a fixed carrier link from which a carrier for a bucket, scoop or other material-carrying container is directly supported, and to provide operating means for (a) moving the carrier transversely of the stream from a source of material supply to a point estimated to bedirectly above the desired point of material delivery, (b lowering the scoop or bucket relative to the stationary carrier to a point near the level at which the material is wanted, readjusting the position of the carrier, (d) discharging the material, and (e) returning the scoop or bucket for the next load.

In actual dam building operation the discharging of the contents of the scoop or bucket is taken care of by remote control, but as disclosed herein this detail is disregarded, and the bucket is manually overturned for dumping after it has been remotely located over the precise point of discharge desired, and at precisely the level desired.

It will be appreciated, of course, that if the-toy bucket is to be delivered to a desired point of discharge by the combination of a purely vertical movement or movements, and a purely transverse movement or movements (horizontal except as modified by sagging of the inert carrier line), provision should be made for isolatin g rather than consolidating or combining these movements. At thesame time, it is desirable to make the drive means as simple and easy to understand and remember as possible. v

To this end, it is a feature that a Windlass drum is provided at the control station for reeling in and paying out a bucket raising and lowering cable. A pulley coaxially related to the drum is normally biased toward the drum to be clutched to, and drivenin unison with, the drum, but is adapted to be declutched and rendered idle as desired. The pulley is cable-connected to drive a bucket carrier back and forth across the chasm.

The operation of the bucket raising and lowering cable while the carrier feed cable remains idle, obviously results in raising and lowering the bucket without A moving it horizontally. The concurrent and equal feeding of both cables in the same direction has the interesting and somewhat surprising effect of causing the container to be moved across thechasm in unison with the container carrier without being raised or lowered. I

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In he drawing forming part of this specification,

FIG. 1 is a comprehensive viewin side elevation of the novel toy erected over a ditch in which water is contained, the view serving chiefly to illustrate the utilization of the mechanism simulated over. characteristic terrain; 1

FIG. 2 is a comprehensive view inside elevation of the toy, the view being on a larger scale than FIG. 1 and being broken away intermediate its ends for compactness of illustration;

FIG. 3 is a view in end elevation of the toy as seen from the operating end;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of the operating portion of the toy in end elevation on a much larger scale than FIGS. 2 and 3, showing particularly the raising and low- A ering drum, a suitable drive means therefor and the traversing drive pulley with the pulley in declutched position;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is a view in end elevation of the bucket carrier, through the movement of which the bucket is caused to traverse the space between standards; and

FIG. 7 is a view in side elevation of a hook and pulley support which is cable-supported from the carrier, and

onto which the container is hooked.

The toy 10 includes an erectable standard 12 and an erectable standard 14, adapted to be set up in fixed positions at opposite sides of a gorge 16, real or imaginary. The standard 12 comprises a rigid rectangular base member 18 and an upstanding rigid member 20, connected to the base through hinges 22. The member 20 comprises laterally spaced upstanding studs 24 and rigid cross-members 26 which are rigidly connected thereto.

A slanted brace 30 is connected through hinges 31 to the member 20 near the upper end thereof, and is detachably connected to the base 18 at its lower end through withdrawable fasteners such as cotter pins.

whose arms are spread only widely enough to prevent accidental detachment. The brace 30 comprises marginal members 32 and cross-connecting members 34 and 36.

The standard 14 comprises a rectangular solid base 38 and an upstanding rigid structure 40 which consists of a board 42 and an upright post 44 rigidly affixed to the board. The post 44 is urged clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 2, by chains 46 which are connected at their upper ends through a screw-eye 47 to an elevated part of the post 44. At their lower ends the chains 46 terminate in .hooks 48, which hooks are detachably received in screw-eyes 50, the screw-eyes being threaded into opposite outer comers of the base 38L The chains 46 are maintained under tension. They pull the post 44 clockwise but clockwise movement of the post isnormally limited by engagement of the lower end of the post and the lower surface of the board 42 with the upper surface of the base 38. During erection or disassembly of the toy the post canbe bent sufficiently to permit the books 48 to be inserted in, or withdrawn from, the screw-eyes 50, but in normal use the tension of the chains prevents accidental withdrawal of the hooks.

The bases 18 and 38 may be connected at a fixed distance from one another by a board 52 which is indicated in broken lines in FIG. 2. This board, however, is itself long and cumbersome and it interferes with a compact packing of the toy. The board 52 is preferably omitted, therefore, and the structures 12 and 14 may then be maintained in fixed positions by weighting their bases 18 and 38 with rocks, dirt, etc. Altematively, the standards may be tied to stakes driven into the ground.

At its upper end the post 44 is bifurcated, spaced parallel extension strips 54 being secured to opposite sides of the post. Between these strips a terminal block 58 of a carrier line 56 is removably affixed by means of a removable through-fastener member 60.

As shown, the carrier line comprises two identical terminal blocks 58 and an intervening flexible but inextensible line member 62. The line member is maintained under tension and desirably extends substantially horizontally between the structures 12 and 14. The structure of a block 58 is best revealed in the case of the left hand block. The block has a bore through one end and through this bore an end of the line member 62 is passed, the end of the line member being retained in place in any suitable manner, for example by knotting it. The opposite end of the blockis slotted, and a removable pin 64 is provided which extends across the slot. In assembling the carrier line with the members 12 and 14 the pins 64 are withdrawn from the associated blocks 58. The right hand terminal block is applied to cause the block to accept the fastener 60 in its slot and the pin 64 is secured in place for retaining the fastener 60 in the slot. The left hand terminal block is similarly applied to the vertex portion of a V-shaped anchor rod 66.

The function of the carrier line 56 is to serve as a support and guide for a carrier 68 from whcih a material container 70 is suspended by means to be described, with capacity for transverse operation by and with the carrier and for vertical operation relative to the carrier.

The carrier 68 is a slotted structure, partially closed at both ends. It consists essentially of two side members 72 and intervening end spacer members 74 which have required end openings for the passage of the carrier line 62 and of cables to be described.

The carrier includes a series (four as shown) of aligned grooved pulleys 75 which rest upon the carrier line and ride along it.

The operating mechanism through which cables are operated for moving the receptacle 70 vertically and horizontally as desired is mounted on the base 18 of the standard 12. It comprises a pair of fixed bearing supports 76 in which a shaft 78 is rotatively mounted. The shaft 78 has fast upon one end thereof an operating crank handle 80 by which the shaft may be turned in either direction. A windlassdrum 82, fast on the shaft 78, has one end of a receptacle raising and lowering cable 84 attached to it. The cable 84 is passed successively around a series of grooved pulleys, namely,

1. a first pulley 86 rotatively mounted on the standard 12 at substantially the level of the carrier line 62 and the carrier 68, 2. a pulley 88 on the carrier, v 3. a first pulley 90 on the container support 92, 4. a second pulley 94 on the carrier, and 5. a second pulley 96 on the support 92. The free end of the cable 84 is attached to the carrier 68.

With the carrier 68 at rest, counter-clockwise rotaunder the same conditions serves to reel in the cable 84 and hence to raise the container support 92 vertically. The length of cable connected to the drum has a four-to-one mechanical advantage over the container 70. This is advantageous for ease and delicacy of operation. It is also advantageous because it obviates any tendency of the weightedcontainer to creepunder its own weight.

Also mounted upon the shaft 78 is a clutch pulley 98 around which a cable 100 is passed. The clutch pulley 98 includes pins 102 which are normally lodged in bores of the drum 82 so that the pulley 98 is normally driven from the shaft 78 through the drum, and in unison with the drum. A compression coil spring 104 surrounds the shaft 78 between one of the bearing supports 76 and the pulley 98 for normally maintaining the pulley 98 in driven relation to the drum.

The function of the pulley 98 is to drive the cable 100, and through the cable 100 to drive the carrier forward and backward along the carrier line 62. One end of the cable 100 is secured to the end of the carrier 68 which is nearer to the standard 12. The cableis passed around a pulley 106 on the standard 12, thence clockwise for more than a full turn around the pulley 98, thence around a second pulley 108 which is desirably coaxial with the pulley 106, thence in engagement with the undersides of pulleys 110 and 112 on the carrier, and finally around a pulley 114 mounted at the upper end of standard 14. The free end of cable 100 is connected to the right hand end of carrier 68.

It will be apparent from the arrangement of the cable 100 which has been shown and described that with the pulley 98 rendered active by the clutch pins 102, clockwise rotation of the crank 80 will drive the carrier 68 from right to left and counterclockwise rotation of the crank will drive the carrier from left to right.

In the normal, engaged condition of the clutch, because the drum 82 and the pulley 98 are of the same effective diameter and are driven in unison, the concurrent driving of these members has not tendency to raise or lower the container, but .only to drive the carrier back and forth. The paying out and reeling in of the cable 84 which caused lowering and raising of the container with the carrier at rest, merely enables the container to travel horizontally in unison with the carrier without rising or descending.

A clutch shifting lever 116 is provided for rendering and holding the cable 100 inactive. The lever 116 is mounted with freedom for horizontal movement about a vertically extending fulcrum pin 118, which pin is set in the upper end of a stationary block 120. As shown, the leverl 16 has a curved portion which partially surrounds, and fits inthe base of, a channeled extension portion of the pulley. Under the influence of the spring 104 the pulley will promptly become re-clutched to the drum 82 after the clutch shifting lever 116 has been released and rotation of the drum has been initiated.

l havedescribed what I believe to be the best embodiment of my invention. What I desire to protect by letters patent of the United States is set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

-l. A material transferring, dam building toy comprising, in combiantion,

a. a material carrying container; v

b. a pair of erectable standards adapted to be established at a fixed distance from one another;

c. a carrier supporting line extending between the standards and affixed at its ends thereto;

(1. a pulley equipped carrier mounted by said pulleys with freedom to travel only in a definitely prescribed path a long the fixed carrier line substantially from one standard to the other;

e. a windlass mounted on one of said standards, which windlass includes a drive shaft, a winding drum fast on the shaft and means for turning the shaft forward and backward;

f. a container support suspended from the carrier and immediately associated with the container;

g. a container lifting and lowering cable connected to the drum and adapted to be reeled in and paid out by rotation of the drum in opposite directions;

h. means guiding said cable from the drum around an elevated portion of the standard on which the windlass is mounted, and thence around a carrierv mounted pulley to the container support;

i. a single carrier driving cable having its ends connected from opposite directions to opposite ends of the carrier;

j. a drive pulley mounted on the windlass shaft for driving from said shaft and having an intermediate portion of the carrier driving cable wrapped around it;

k. means normally clutching the pulley in driven relation to the windlass shaft for rotation in unison therewith; and

1. means operable to declutch the drive pulley;

the construction and arrangement being such that the container is driven essentially horizontally by rotation of the windlass shaft when the drive pulley is clutched and essentially vertically by rotation of the windlass shaft when the drive pulley is declutched.

2. A dam-building toy as set forth in claim 1 in which the windlass drum and the carrier driving pulley are mounted coaxially upon the windlass shaftat the base of the associated standard and are constructed and arranged to have inter-fitting relation, a compression coil spring surrounds the shaft and urges the pulley toward interfitting relation with an end of the drum, and a con- 6. trol lever is provided for shifting the driving pulley to, and detaining it in, a disengaged position. v

3. A dam-building toy as set forth in claim 1 in which provision is made of means for opposing turning of the windlass with a light frictional force, in which the lifting and lowering cable connected at one end to the windlass drum is connected at its opposite end to the carrier, in which the carrier and the container support are each made to includea plurality of pulleys and in which the container raising and lowering cable has a series of lengths which extend in alternation from the carrier to the container support and from the container support to the carrier, whereby the container raising and lowering drive is effected with a substantial mechanical advantage so that the weight of the container support, the container and the container contents can be sustained in any position by the light frictional forces applied to the windlass and present in the drive train described.

4. A dam-building toy as set forth in claim 3 in which the container support comprises a body, a plurality of grooved pulleys rotatively carried by said body, and a container-engaging hook depending from said body.

5. A dam-building toy as set forth in claim 1 in which each standard includes hingedly connected base and upright members which may be drawn to, and rigidly maintained in fixed horizontal and upstanding altitudes relative to one another, together with obliquely disposed brace members and means detachably connecting each base member to the associated brace member.

the standards in chosen positions.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,793, 764 Dated February 26, 1974 Inventor(s) HARVEY J. GAGNON, SR.

It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 6., line 26, "altitudes" should read attitudes Signedand sealed this 13th day of August 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

MCCOY M. GIBSON JR. C. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents FORM PO-lOSO (10-69) USCOMM'DC 503764 69 LS. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: ISIS 0-365-334. 

1. A material transferring, dam building toy comprising, in combiantion, a. a material carrying container; b. a pair of erectable standards adapted to be established at a fixed distance from one another; c. a carrier supporting line extending between the standards and affixed at its ends thereto; d. a pulley equipped carrier mounted by said pulleys with freedom to travel only in a definitely prescribed path a long the fixed carrier line substantially from one standard to the other; e. a windlass mounted on one of said standards, which windlass includes a drive shaft, a winding drum fast on the shaft and means for turning the shaft forward and backward; f. a container support suspended from the carrier and immediately associated with the container; g. a container lifting and lowering cable connected to the drum and adapted to be reeled in and paid out by rotation of the drum in opposite directions; h. means guiding said cable from the drum around an elevated portion of the standard on which the windlass is mounted, and thence around a carrier-mounted pulley to the container support; i. a single carrier driving cable having its ends connected from opposite directions to opposite ends of the carrier; j. a drive pulley mounted on the windlass shaft for driving from said shaft and having an intermediate portion of the carrier driving caBle wrapped around it; k. means normally clutching the pulley in driven relation to the windlass shaft for rotation in unison therewith; and l. means operable to declutch the drive pulley; the construction and arrangement being such that the container is driven essentially horizontally by rotation of the windlass shaft when the drive pulley is clutched and essentially vertically by rotation of the windlass shaft when the drive pulley is declutched.
 2. A dam-building toy as set forth in claim 1 in which the windlass drum and the carrier driving pulley are mounted coaxially upon the windlass shaft at the base of the associated standard and are constructed and arranged to have inter-fitting relation, a compression coil spring surrounds the shaft and urges the pulley toward interfitting relation with an end of the drum, and a control lever is provided for shifting the driving pulley to, and detaining it in, a disengaged position.
 3. A dam-building toy as set forth in claim 1 in which provision is made of means for opposing turning of the windlass with a light frictional force, in which the lifting and lowering cable connected at one end to the windlass drum is connected at its opposite end to the carrier, in which the carrier and the container support are each made to include a plurality of pulleys and in which the container raising and lowering cable has a series of lengths which extend in alternation from the carrier to the container support and from the container support to the carrier, whereby the container raising and lowering drive is effected with a substantial mechanical advantage so that the weight of the container support, the container and the container contents can be sustained in any position by the light frictional forces applied to the windlass and present in the drive train described.
 4. A dam-building toy as set forth in claim 3 in which the container support comprises a body, a plurality of grooved pulleys rotatively carried by said body, and a container-engaging hook depending from said body.
 5. A dam-building toy as set forth in claim 1 in which each standard includes hingedly connected base and upright members which may be drawn to, and rigidly maintained in fixed horizontal and upstanding altitudes relative to one another, together with obliquely disposed brace members and means detachably connecting each base member to the associated brace member.
 6. A dam-building toy as set forth in claim 5 in which readily releasable means are provided for securing the respective brace members to the associated base members.
 7. A dam-building toy as set forth in claim 6 in which readily separable means are provided for securing the carrier line and the carrier driving cable to the standard remote from the windlass.
 8. A dam-building, material-transferring toy as set forth in claim 5 in which the base members have extensive areas adapting them to be loaded heavily for fixing the standards in chosen positions. 